Centre column - description of Moodle e.g. "Moodle is a course management system (CMS) - a free, Open Source software package designed using sound pedagogical principles, to help educators create effective online learning communities. You can download and use it on any computer (including webhosts), and it can scale from a single-teacher site to a 50,000-student University."

Development - development page with links and short descriptions to:
Modules and plugins development
Theme development
Careers - database of Moodle jobs offered and wanted
Credits http://docs.moodle.org/en/Credits

Moodle.org should have a set of front pages in order to fully explain all aspects of Moodle - Moodle support, Moodle development, the Moodle community, Moodle downloads - and the Moodle.org sites.

ALL text on the set of front pages of Moodle.org should be translated into as many other languages as possible, so non-English-speaking visitors to Moodle.org can understand where to go for support etc. and how to become involved in the community.

High accessibility should be a priority for the set of front pages of Moodle.org. In particular, links to the different Moodle.org sites should be clear and understandable, helping users to know what to expect when they follow a link.

It should be easy to navigate between each page in the set of front pages so that a newcomer to Moodle.org can obtain a general overview before following a link to one of the Moodle.org sites.

Moodle contact information should be available.

An explanation of how Moodle.com fits with Moodle.org should be included and Moodle Partners should be better promoted.

Helen Foster
added a comment - 20/Nov/07 3:08 PM Further thoughts/ideas:
Moodle.org should have a set of front pages in order to fully explain all aspects of Moodle - Moodle support, Moodle development, the Moodle community, Moodle downloads - and the Moodle.org sites.
ALL text on the set of front pages of Moodle.org should be translated into as many other languages as possible, so non-English-speaking visitors to Moodle.org can understand where to go for support etc. and how to become involved in the community.
High accessibility should be a priority for the set of front pages of Moodle.org. In particular, links to the different Moodle.org sites should be clear and understandable, helping users to know what to expect when they follow a link.
It should be easy to navigate between each page in the set of front pages so that a newcomer to Moodle.org can obtain a general overview before following a link to one of the Moodle.org sites.
Moodle contact information should be available.
An explanation of how Moodle.com fits with Moodle.org should be included and Moodle Partners should be better promoted.

1. Front page should have six sections as big clickable icons or something spread out on the page
2. Six links should appear in the header (across the top) on ALL Moodle pages in all Moodle.org sites (have buttons in the header, just above the nav bar)
3. Links are: About, Downloads, Support, Community, Development, News
4. Wording of text to be improved by copying it to the docs wiki
5. News could be a collection of RSS feeds
6. About should include a features section, also explanation about the Moodle.org sites
7. No left navigation necessary - individual pages can have whatever blocks they need for local nav
8. Re. translation, we can add a new file to the lang packs called moodle.org.php
9. Standard footer links: Copyright, Contact (different sites may have more footer links)
10. Create subpages rather than resources, maybe in an /info directory e.g. http://moodle.org/info/support
11. Make a to-do list - subtasks in the tracker

Re. "Do you think documentation should be hidden in support?" - I think that a link to Moodle Docs should be included in both Support and Community, then of course there will be links all over to particular pages in the documentation. IMHO this should be enough.

Helen Foster
added a comment - 21/Nov/07 6:16 PM Summary of discussion between Martin and Helen:
1. Front page should have six sections as big clickable icons or something spread out on the page
2. Six links should appear in the header (across the top) on ALL Moodle pages in all Moodle.org sites (have buttons in the header, just above the nav bar)
3. Links are: About, Downloads, Support, Community, Development, News
4. Wording of text to be improved by copying it to the docs wiki
5. News could be a collection of RSS feeds
6. About should include a features section, also explanation about the Moodle.org sites
7. No left navigation necessary - individual pages can have whatever blocks they need for local nav
8. Re. translation, we can add a new file to the lang packs called moodle.org.php
9. Standard footer links: Copyright, Contact (different sites may have more footer links)
10. Create subpages rather than resources, maybe in an /info directory e.g. http://moodle.org/info/support
11. Make a to-do list - subtasks in the tracker
Re. "Do you think documentation should be hidden in support?" - I think that a link to Moodle Docs should be included in both Support and Community, then of course there will be links all over to particular pages in the documentation. IMHO this should be enough.

Helen Foster
added a comment - 21/Jan/08 8:25 PM To summarise, all Moodle pages in all Moodle.org sites will have the following links in the header:
About
Downloads
Support
Community
Development
News
All pages will also have the following link in the footer (in addition to other footer links):
Contact
The text in these pages will be simple, straightforward and succinct, so that it's easily translatable.

Could I suggest bringing the tracker and moodledocs into the same navigation structure if possible? Moodledocs currently has the homelink, but the tracker doesn't. A unified theme across all 3 would be great too.

Matt Gibson
added a comment - 08/Mar/08 12:45 AM Could I suggest bringing the tracker and moodledocs into the same navigation structure if possible? Moodledocs currently has the homelink, but the tracker doesn't. A unified theme across all 3 would be great too.

Martin Dougiamas
added a comment - 28/Nov/08 10:31 AM The various top level pages are settling down now and can be edited further of course. There's still some sub-pages to be added like "Associations" for IMS etc.
But for the very front page I'm currently envisioning:
six nice big icons (with title beneath) for About Moodle,News,Support, Development,Security, Downloads (each goes to overview page)
these blocks on right: Login, Latest news, Upcoming events, Networked peers
How does that sound?

Six big icons with titles beneath (and title tags giving further description) sound good, though I think ( = feel strongly!) that Security should be replaced by Community i.e. About Moodle, News, Support, Community, Development, Downloads

Browsing the websites for other open source projects, I notice that there is always a Community link, and I can't find any website with a Security link.

Regarding blocks on the right, I'd recommend as few as possible i.e. Latest news only (assuming we're going to make a lot more use of it from now on!) Also, shouldn't networked peers have its own page?

How about adding an Planet Moodle RSS feed block to a News and/or Development page? (I love Planet Moodle!)

Helen Foster
added a comment - 28/Nov/08 7:56 PM Six big icons with titles beneath (and title tags giving further description) sound good, though I think ( = feel strongly!) that Security should be replaced by Community i.e. About Moodle, News, Support, Community, Development, Downloads
Browsing the websites for other open source projects, I notice that there is always a Community link, and I can't find any website with a Security link.
Regarding blocks on the right, I'd recommend as few as possible i.e. Latest news only (assuming we're going to make a lot more use of it from now on!) Also, shouldn't networked peers have its own page?
How about adding an Planet Moodle RSS feed block to a News and/or Development page? (I love Planet Moodle!)

Martin Dougiamas
added a comment - 01/Dec/08 1:42 PM I think we did have Community as a menu originally but what would go under that menu? Aren't all the moodle.org menus are about the community...
I agree with the rest though, for sure!

Also, I'm wondering whether it's necessary to have an Overview link in each of the dropdown menus, since the top word in each menu links to the corresponding overview page. I suggest that each overview page includes all the links in the dropdown menu.

Could we have a site search like on http://mahara.org/ i.e. the words 'Google custom search' inside the search box, and a smaller search button with just the word 'Search' on it.

I suggest that all links have title text providing additional information.

Helen Foster
added a comment - 12/Dec/08 7:29 AM Please can we have a contact link to http://moodle.org/contact/ in the footer?
Also, I'm wondering whether it's necessary to have an Overview link in each of the dropdown menus, since the top word in each menu links to the corresponding overview page. I suggest that each overview page includes all the links in the dropdown menu.
Could we have a site search like on http://mahara.org/ i.e. the words 'Google custom search' inside the search box, and a smaller search button with just the word 'Search' on it.
I suggest that all links have title text providing additional information.
Regarding menu links, here are my recommendations:
About (including a few screenshots and links to Moodle Docs)
Demo site - http://demo.moodle.org
Statistics - http://moodle.org/stats/
News http://moodle.org/news/
(no need for a dropdown menu - security announcements etc. look great in RSS feed blocks)
Support
Documentation - http://docs.moodle.org
Community forums - http://moodle.org/course/view.php?id=5
Books - http://moodle.org/books/
Commercial services - http://moodle.org/support/commercial/
Community
Discussion areas - http://moodle.org/course/category.php?id=1 (not quite sure what's best here)
Events - http://moodle.org/events/ (why describe it as 'Events and conferences' when one word e.g. 'Events' would be sufficient?)
Sites - http://moodle.org/sites/
Networked sites
Moodle jobs - http://moodle.org/mod/data/view.php?id=7232
Development
Developers - http://moodle.org/mod/cvsadmin/view.php?cid=1
Tracker - http://tracker.moodle.org/
Developer meetings - http://docs.moodle.org/en/Developer_meetings
Developer site - http://dev.moodle.org
Download - as for current menu
Items still to be placed in a menu:
Moodle Certification - http://moodle.org/course/view.php?id=48
Other courses from this category: http://moodle.org/course/category.php?id=1
Please feel free to implement / ignore my suggestions

Eloy Lafuente (stronk7)
added a comment - 12/Dec/08 9:22 AM One tiny thing: Just today noticed that the Moodle icon (bottom left) doesn't show the Moodle version running. Is that on purpose? Else I'd put it there (to allow people to know).

Martin Dougiamas
added a comment - 12/Dec/08 4:57 PM Thanks Helen! I've reimplemented the menus that way (with small changes and additions) and I agree they work much better!
I added Contact too, and Eloy, added the version though I'm not sure we really need to publish that for moodle.org do we?

Martin Dougiamas
added a comment - 12/Dec/08 5:49 PM I also made the navmenus more consistent by removing the "activity index" pages and the titles all start with "Moodle.org: " now.
I kept the overview pages ... I still think most people will not think to click on the menu title ...

Tim Hunt
added a comment - 12/Dec/08 6:41 PM It is looking very, very good.
Minor editorial comments:
1. Menus on the demo site are not quite in synch.
2. http://moodle.org/support/commercial/ is missing an obvious link to moodle.com/partenrs at the start.
3. On http://moodle.org/community/ should the 3rd bullet link to the Moodle Conferences course?
4. Similarly, should http://moodle.org/events/ link there.
5. Develop new code for Moode bullet needs a closing )
6. http://moodle.org/development/ - bold would be better than caps for 'VOTE'.
I guess a few more pictures would be nice in due course.

Also, it seems that the difference between: News->Overview and News->General announcements doesn't exist.

PD: About showing the version over Moodle logo. It's a tiny thing but I think it's ok to do so as long as rest of moodle sites out there are showing it (standard themes). Also it'll provide info for curious (and crackers).

Eloy Lafuente (stronk7)
added a comment - 13/Dec/08 1:24 AM Also, it seems that the difference between: News->Overview and News->General announcements doesn't exist.
PD: About showing the version over Moodle logo. It's a tiny thing but I think it's ok to do so as long as rest of moodle sites out there are showing it (standard themes). Also it'll provide info for curious (and crackers).

Tim Hunt
added a comment - 13/Dec/08 1:58 PM From http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=112413#p493491
It would make sense to link to either cvs.moodle.org or xref.moodle.org as a 'Browse source' link in the Development menu.

Helen Foster
added a comment - 16/Dec/08 4:21 PM Re. renaming the Home page link to "Home" in the navbar, this results in
This email is a copy of a message sent to you at "Home"
Perhaps the lang string could be changed?
If we're keeping the overview pages, could the menu title links be removed i.e. make the menu titles not clickable?

Mauno Korpelainen
added a comment - 23/Dec/08 6:20 PM Icons look nice.
I miss one big thing - support for other languages ( http://moodle.org/course/category.php?id=3 )
In my opinion front page should have at least one link to those non english forums somewhere...

Mauno Korpelainen
added a comment - 23/Dec/08 6:29 PM The link is in http://moodle.org/community/ but all those people who have difficulties with english may be lost when they visit moodle.org for the first time.
If you change language from language menu it just changes a couple of titles from blocks - but no titles from top menu.

Mauno Korpelainen
added a comment - 23/Dec/08 7:00 PM If site block to forums in English, forums in other languages etc is out of a question maybe at least a link under Support or Community could be helpfull:
Other languages

Re. the Catalyst icons, I like them the best so far - apart from the About Moodle one, they look good as a set.

Mauno, thanks for your comments. The plan is for everything on the front pages of Moodle.org to be translated into as many other languages as possible, so when a Finnish speaker visits moodle.org they'll have a link to the Finnish Moodle course and the Finnish documentation.

Once we've finalized the text in English, we'll be able to work on MDLSITE-297.

Helen Foster
added a comment - 23/Dec/08 10:58 PM Re. the Catalyst icons, I like them the best so far - apart from the About Moodle one, they look good as a set.
Mauno, thanks for your comments. The plan is for everything on the front pages of Moodle.org to be translated into as many other languages as possible, so when a Finnish speaker visits moodle.org they'll have a link to the Finnish Moodle course and the Finnish documentation.
Once we've finalized the text in English, we'll be able to work on MDLSITE-297 .

I think that asciimathml should be included with atb least one moddle 2 theme. I created a separate tracker item for this http://tracker.moodle.org/browse/MDLSITE-599 but thought I'd add a reference here since the inviation.

As easy as it is to implement, it would be nice to see moodle.org offer as well as Moodle offer major themes with and without asciimathml with fallback invoked via theme.

Marc Grober
added a comment - 25/Dec/08 6:32 AM The recent announcement requested suggestions regarding moodle 2 theme be posted here (as opposed to just homepage suggestions....)
I think that asciimathml should be included with atb least one moddle 2 theme. I created a separate tracker item for this http://tracker.moodle.org/browse/MDLSITE-599 but thought I'd add a reference here since the inviation.
As easy as it is to implement, it would be nice to see moodle.org offer as well as Moodle offer major themes with and without asciimathml with fallback invoked via theme.

This page allows you see which forums you are subscribed to and which ones you are not subscribed to, and let's you quickly subscribe or unsubscribe as you want. I really miss a quick link on the Moodle site to this page. Fortunately, I had it bookmarked otherwise I would never have found it again

I think this should be under Support as a seperate item (something like "Support Forum") or at least it should show up in the Community Forum list somewhere as a seperate item.

Jeff Sherk
added a comment - 25/Dec/08 6:56 AM I can't find a link anywhere on the new site that leads to the "Home->Using Moodle->Forums" page anymore
http://moodle.org/mod/forum/index.php?id=5
This page allows you see which forums you are subscribed to and which ones you are not subscribed to, and let's you quickly subscribe or unsubscribe as you want. I really miss a quick link on the Moodle site to this page. Fortunately, I had it bookmarked otherwise I would never have found it again
I think this should be under Support as a seperate item (something like "Support Forum") or at least it should show up in the Community Forum list somewhere as a seperate item.

1- The main font displayed throughout the site is selected from the following sans-serif fonts: "Lucida Grande","Bitstream Vera Sans",Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif
I regret that (on Windows systems) Verdana does not come before "Bitstream Vera Sans". AFAIK Verdana is the only sans-serif font which has a distinct glyph for the uppercase "i" letter and the lowercase "l" letter. On Windows systems, Verdana is the best choice for sans-serif. I do admit that otherwise "Bitstream Vera Sans" looks nice.

2- When entering posts on moodle.org forums, why is Trebuchet the default font? This is not consistent, because the posts will be displayed in the default site font ("Bitstream Vera Sans" for Windows) anyway... Also, in the HTML editor the default font size is much too big.

3- In the HTML editor, the Address style can be used, but it no longer show when the post has been posted.

4- The hovering over links is: hover

{ color: #d8a51f; text-decoration: underline;}

That #d8a51f orange-brownish color does not make a sufficient contrast when the user is hovering over a link. It becomes especially illegible when the link is set agains an orange background, such as the "Moodle Docs for this page" link at the bottom.

5- On the forums page, it is difficult to see the links to unread posts, because they are very far away (on the right) from the forum names (on the left). For the sake of legibility, I would like to have visible row lines there, such as we do have when we enter a forum, each topic has its own white/grey row line.

Joseph Rézeau
added a comment - 28/Dec/08 7:26 PM Here are my comments on the new moodle.org theme as of Dec. 28th, 2008.
Overall I find the new theme really nice, refreshing, unobtrusive, user-friendly. My remarks deal with legibility.
1- The main font displayed throughout the site is selected from the following sans-serif fonts: "Lucida Grande","Bitstream Vera Sans",Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif
I regret that (on Windows systems) Verdana does not come before "Bitstream Vera Sans". AFAIK Verdana is the only sans-serif font which has a distinct glyph for the uppercase "i" letter and the lowercase "l" letter. On Windows systems, Verdana is the best choice for sans-serif. I do admit that otherwise "Bitstream Vera Sans" looks nice.
2- When entering posts on moodle.org forums, why is Trebuchet the default font? This is not consistent, because the posts will be displayed in the default site font ("Bitstream Vera Sans" for Windows) anyway... Also, in the HTML editor the default font size is much too big.
3- In the HTML editor, the Address style can be used, but it no longer show when the post has been posted.
4- The hovering over links is: hover
{ color: #d8a51f; text-decoration: underline;}
That #d8a51f orange-brownish color does not make a sufficient contrast when the user is hovering over a link. It becomes especially illegible when the link is set agains an orange background, such as the "Moodle Docs for this page" link at the bottom.
5- On the forums page, it is difficult to see the links to unread posts, because they are very far away (on the right) from the forum names (on the left). For the sake of legibility, I would like to have visible row lines there, such as we do have when we enter a forum, each topic has its own white/grey row line.
Joseph

I like the old Moodle look much better. This feels diluted. Come to think of it, I liked the basic Moodle 1.4 theme the best of all. Let's have a public poll of users. Be sure to have more than one question in the poll (ie: newbie vs. oldbie) to determine if beginners do like this better than old guys like me.

Don Hinkelman
added a comment - 29/Dec/08 12:51 PM I like the old Moodle look much better. This feels diluted. Come to think of it, I liked the basic Moodle 1.4 theme the best of all. Let's have a public poll of users. Be sure to have more than one question in the poll (ie: newbie vs. oldbie) to determine if beginners do like this better than old guys like me.

Thanks everyone for comments, I'll get to them right after new year. Fixed the editor fonts already. Don, we can have a poll, but I don't think it's realistic to revert now. Perhaps you can express in more detail what is missing so we can move it forward.

Martin Dougiamas
added a comment - 29/Dec/08 11:58 PM Thanks everyone for comments, I'll get to them right after new year. Fixed the editor fonts already. Don, we can have a poll, but I don't think it's realistic to revert now. Perhaps you can express in more detail what is missing so we can move it forward.

Sorry for joining the conversation late. I had no idea there was a problem with our moodle.org site. I agree Dokeos and others are more elegant. But I have seen or heard no evidence of problems that new visitors had with our site. That is why a questionnaire or focus group of new and old users is necessary before making a radical change. Here are some initial problems I see with the new format.

Multiple clicks required now to go to frequently visited places whereas one click required before

Rich interface reduced to overly simplified interface

New icons are a downgrade (sorry to whoever created them--blush)

Overall, I feel confused and frustrated. I would like to feel delighted, intrigued and curious. Recently, I felt this when I entered the DekiWiki site. See them also for beautiful examples of screen layout and icons.

My solution:
1. retain the left column and right columns with similar functions/links as before but make more elegant
2. keep the newly added top menu bar--it is useful as a redundant search but should not be the only search mechanism
3. improve icons and create uniform layout scheme (right column and center column seem out of sync)
4. add a questionnaire to the front page of Moodle. Title: What do you think of the new look of Moodle? Ask questions such as the following to visitors:

What is your experience with Moodle? First time visitor, beginner, used it for a year, used it extensively as developer or admin

What problems have you had in the past with the moodle.org website?

What do want to find when you come to the front page of moodle.org (long list of checkboxes here)

What do you like with the new Moodle website design?

What would you like to change or improve?
In forums, increase contrast between text box and other areas. I cannot see the box on my browser (Firefox). Also, make solid bar of color rather than a thin line of color (see Moodle 1.4 forums for example--beautiful!)

Don Hinkelman
added a comment - 30/Dec/08 1:18 PM Sorry for joining the conversation late. I had no idea there was a problem with our moodle.org site. I agree Dokeos and others are more elegant. But I have seen or heard no evidence of problems that new visitors had with our site. That is why a questionnaire or focus group of new and old users is necessary before making a radical change. Here are some initial problems I see with the new format.
Multiple clicks required now to go to frequently visited places whereas one click required before
Rich interface reduced to overly simplified interface
New icons are a downgrade (sorry to whoever created them--blush)
Overall, I feel confused and frustrated. I would like to feel delighted, intrigued and curious. Recently, I felt this when I entered the DekiWiki site. See them also for beautiful examples of screen layout and icons.
My solution:
1. retain the left column and right columns with similar functions/links as before but make more elegant
2. keep the newly added top menu bar--it is useful as a redundant search but should not be the only search mechanism
3. improve icons and create uniform layout scheme (right column and center column seem out of sync)
4. add a questionnaire to the front page of Moodle. Title: What do you think of the new look of Moodle? Ask questions such as the following to visitors:
What is your experience with Moodle? First time visitor, beginner, used it for a year, used it extensively as developer or admin
What problems have you had in the past with the moodle.org website?
What do want to find when you come to the front page of moodle.org (long list of checkboxes here)
What do you like with the new Moodle website design?
What would you like to change or improve?
In forums, increase contrast between text box and other areas. I cannot see the box on my browser (Firefox). Also, make solid bar of color rather than a thin line of color (see Moodle 1.4 forums for example--beautiful!)

I would like to add up to the above comments of Mauno Korpelainen about people looking for non-english courses. Eg. for accessing the course "Moodle en français", you need 4 clicks, provided that you know where you go:

1) Click the "Community" link (or the "Community" top menu item)
2) Click the link "Other languages" (which you'll still have to find in the middle of the page)
3) And click on "Moodle en français".

I got several notices that newbies simply don't find the non-english speaking courses!

Nicolas Martignoni
added a comment - 02/Jan/09 7:37 PM I would like to add up to the above comments of Mauno Korpelainen about people looking for non-english courses. Eg. for accessing the course "Moodle en français", you need 4 clicks, provided that you know where you go:
1) Click the "Community" link (or the "Community" top menu item)
2) Click the link "Other languages" (which you'll still have to find in the middle of the page)
3) And click on "Moodle en français".
I got several notices that newbies simply don't find the non-english speaking courses!
Like Mauno, I suggest at least a link "Other languages" under Support or Community, that links to http://moodle.org/course/category.php?id=3 .

I would like the General developer forum being directly accessible via the top Development menu item.

I really had a hard time finding it today because I first looked under "Community" for the "Community forums" before I found those under "Support".

And finally finding the General developer forum on that page also took me some time until I realized that is only part of the Using Moodle course so that the "Community forums" link shows a different content depending which course you choose which I find very confusing.

Another small suggestion: What about using those tiny little flags for depicting forums in other languages? (Which flag to choose for English might stir a heated debate, though...)

Frank Ralf
added a comment - 09/Jan/09 2:58 AM I would like the General developer forum being directly accessible via the top Development menu item.
I really had a hard time finding it today because I first looked under "Community" for the "Community forums" before I found those under "Support".
And finally finding the General developer forum on that page also took me some time until I realized that is only part of the Using Moodle course so that the "Community forums" link shows a different content depending which course you choose which I find very confusing.
Another small suggestion: What about using those tiny little flags for depicting forums in other languages? (Which flag to choose for English might stir a heated debate, though...)

I agree that the look is now diluted and looks less professional. The new gradient adds a lot to the issue. It is washed out and for some reason not smooth, since I see horizontal colored lines in all browsers.
Can we please make it a solid color, or shade it darker (not lighter) just a little bit and only at the very bottom/top

New icons at the front page are rather bad too, sorry.

As for the look of theme "inside" Moodle courses - they also became less "readable"
For example, it is hard for me to follow the discussion flow, sine I do not see post borders anymore. Same stands for topic/weeks separation or even course page border itself.

I would vote for bold colors and higher contrast. (plus arial vs verdana)
I wish I was a graphic designer

Elena Ivanova
added a comment - 21/Jan/09 12:16 PM Hi everyone, my 5 cents..
I agree that the look is now diluted and looks less professional. The new gradient adds a lot to the issue. It is washed out and for some reason not smooth, since I see horizontal colored lines in all browsers.
Can we please make it a solid color, or shade it darker (not lighter) just a little bit and only at the very bottom/top
New icons at the front page are rather bad too, sorry.
As for the look of theme "inside" Moodle courses - they also became less "readable"
For example, it is hard for me to follow the discussion flow, sine I do not see post borders anymore. Same stands for topic/weeks separation or even course page border itself.
I would vote for bold colors and higher contrast. (plus arial vs verdana)
I wish I was a graphic designer

Martin Dougiamas
added a comment - 21/Jan/09 1:02 PM Elena, could you post some screenshots? It sounds to me like your computer is operating on a very reduced number of colours. What operating system are you using? Are you using 32-bit colour?

Elena Ivanova
added a comment - 21/Jan/09 1:35 PM Win XP with 32-bit. I have tried different resolutions too. Here is a screenshot - I can see 2 visible lines: one grayish below triangular, another more yellowish below it.

I guess I should have posted it here...
Win XP with 32-bit. I have tried different resolutions too. Here is a screenshot - I can see 2 visible lines: one grayish below triangular, another more yellowish below it.

Elena Ivanova
added a comment - 21/Jan/09 1:35 PM I guess I should have posted it here...
Win XP with 32-bit. I have tried different resolutions too. Here is a screenshot - I can see 2 visible lines: one grayish below triangular, another more yellowish below it.

Martin Dougiamas
added a comment - 21/Jan/09 1:41 PM Hmm, thanks, I guess I can't really see those, even in the screenshot. That might be just my computer or maybe not.
So you see the same problems in the gradient on this page? http://tracker.moodle.org/browse/MDLSITE-132 (it's a different gradient image).

Martin Dougiamas
added a comment - 21/Jan/09 1:50 PM I zoomed right in on a low-res screen with 16 bits and now I can see it. I think they are JPEG artifacts ... I've fixed that image now I think - try a shift-reload on http://moodle.org

yep, much better!
Though I can still see sharp difference between the top and bottom, plus there is a lighter middle part and some extra colors mashed in. I cannot do much on this machine, so I will attache a better screenshot with my marks tomorrow (your evening, I guess

Elena Ivanova
added a comment - 21/Jan/09 2:01 PM yep, much better!
Though I can still see sharp difference between the top and bottom, plus there is a lighter middle part and some extra colors mashed in. I cannot do much on this machine, so I will attache a better screenshot with my marks tomorrow (your evening, I guess

sorry, it does not look like one
I would vote against 3-d, shades, harsh gradients, or "wet" look, unless we have a graphic designer.

Looks like top navigation is getting switched all the time now. I see Using Moodle (main forum) and Forums in the Support dropdown, then on the next click or page, I see just Community Forums..
Maybe we can stick to something for now and have some kind of a mock-up test instance first?

Navigation, etc:
When I tell people about modle.org site, I point out to:

documentation - kept in a wiki

support (QandA) - provided via forums which are located inside courses in stand-alone moodle installation (novice users do not get it)

if you are a hard-core, browse through the tracker
I think we need to make those a little more prominent.

Also, top navigation is inconsistent. E.g. you click on Support tab - you have a page that provides an overview of Support area (like it)
You click on Download tab - you are getting "Moodle Core packages" right away, no overview page.

Some pages have bread-crumbs, some not. I would move the breadcrums further apart from top navigation, thus users will see that those are not the part of overall structure, when they are not. And I think they should not be, since we are mixing too much together.
Overall, I would use sub-tabs where relevant and not breadcrumbs.
Ufff, saying all that, will you be interested in a mockup?

Elena Ivanova
added a comment - 22/Jan/09 2:43 AM sorry, it does not look like one
I would vote against 3-d, shades, harsh gradients, or "wet" look, unless we have a graphic designer.
Looks like top navigation is getting switched all the time now. I see Using Moodle (main forum) and Forums in the Support dropdown, then on the next click or page, I see just Community Forums..
Maybe we can stick to something for now and have some kind of a mock-up test instance first?
Navigation, etc:
When I tell people about modle.org site, I point out to:
documentation - kept in a wiki
support (QandA) - provided via forums which are located inside courses in stand-alone moodle installation (novice users do not get it)
if you are a hard-core, browse through the tracker
I think we need to make those a little more prominent.
Also, top navigation is inconsistent. E.g. you click on Support tab - you have a page that provides an overview of Support area (like it)
You click on Download tab - you are getting "Moodle Core packages" right away, no overview page.
Some pages have bread-crumbs, some not. I would move the breadcrums further apart from top navigation, thus users will see that those are not the part of overall structure, when they are not. And I think they should not be, since we are mixing too much together.
Overall, I would use sub-tabs where relevant and not breadcrumbs.
Ufff, saying all that, will you be interested in a mockup?

Martin Dougiamas
added a comment - 22/Jan/09 2:38 PM The gradient was added here (by someone who is a fulltime designer) http://tracker.moodle.org/browse/MDLSITE-496?focusedCommentId=59774&page=com.atlassian.jira.plugin.system.issuetabpanels%3Acomment-tabpanel#action_59774 I've not heard anyone else not liking it, so perhaps it's just a taste thing.
The inconsistencies in Menus are because the menu is actually spread across 5 separate systems. This is being worked on - it's dependent on:
working out how to support languages on all systems (because those support links for example will be language-specific).
finishing the system to copy all the menu items around for all the languages
The download top-level view, I do agree with you. I actually had that page at one point http://moodle.org/downloads
Breadcrumbs .... I think only Tracker doesn't have them - that's because it's just too hard to change currently.

Bente Olsen > Could we please have a font with solid caracters for body text? Verdana, Helvetica, Arial... The current diluted print is very unpleasant to read. Verdana is definitely the best choice (for Windows environments). Please let's have it ASAP.

Joseph Rézeau
added a comment - 28/Jan/09 10:44 PM Bente Olsen > Could we please have a font with solid caracters for body text? Verdana, Helvetica, Arial... The current diluted print is very unpleasant to read.
Verdana is definitely the best choice (for Windows environments). Please let's have it ASAP.

Martin Dougiamas
added a comment - 29/Jan/09 12:41 AM But Verdana doesn't support Unicode properly, does it? And we're not all on Windows ...
it looks really fine for me on my Windows Vista machine though ... do you have anti-aliasing turned on in your Display settings? Can you guys provide screenshots?

From what I've read on the Web re Unicode, it's hard to say that one font is better than another when it comes to displaying Unicode. Anyway, at the moment the font of choice for moodle.org is "Bitstream Vera Sans" which does not have more Unicode support than Verdana, so...

On my Windows XP screen, with ClearType anti-aliasing ON, Bitstream Vera Sans looks OK - even nice-looking - except for the recurrent problem of not differenciating betweeen the uppercase "i" letter and the lowercase "l" letter. This to me is redhibitory in any font design.

I do not understand what Bente Olsen means with "The current diluted print is very unpleasant to read". Yes, a screenshot would help.

Joseph Rézeau
added a comment - 29/Jan/09 1:02 AM Martin Dougiamas added a comment - 29/Jan/09 12:41 AM But Verdana doesn't support Unicode properly, does it?
From what I've read on the Web re Unicode, it's hard to say that one font is better than another when it comes to displaying Unicode. Anyway, at the moment the font of choice for moodle.org is "Bitstream Vera Sans" which does not have more Unicode support than Verdana, so...
On my Windows XP screen, with ClearType anti-aliasing ON, Bitstream Vera Sans looks OK - even nice-looking - except for the recurrent problem of not differenciating betweeen the uppercase "i" letter and the lowercase "l" letter. This to me is redhibitory in any font design.
I do not understand what Bente Olsen means with "The current diluted print is very unpleasant to read". Yes, a screenshot would help.
Joseph

Now I have looked at moodle.org with different os'es, XP, Ubuntu, OpenSuse. It seem to be a local problem on my XP.

I have a new computer with a preinstalled XP. On that the font looks fine. I compared the screen settings on my old and the new XP, but there is no difference there. And Martin, I think the anti-aliasing is turned on. This is not what it is called in Danish in the settings, but I can choose between Standard and Clear Type. It is set to Standard.

Joseph, I understand that you can not understand what I mean with 'diluted'. I now discovered that I have misunderstood that word myself. Have a look at my screenshot.

Anyway, after having looked at the site on other machines where the letters are shown as solid caracters, I like the font displayed better than before.

It is possible for me to deactivate the use of 'Standard' or 'Clear Type' screen setting, if I do that Bitstream VS looks a lot better. In the end, though, I will vote for Verdana. I agree with Joseph that it is the best choice when you are using Windows.

Bente Olsen
added a comment - 30/Jan/09 10:16 PM About the fonts.
Now I have looked at moodle.org with different os'es, XP, Ubuntu, OpenSuse. It seem to be a local problem on my XP.
I have a new computer with a preinstalled XP. On that the font looks fine. I compared the screen settings on my old and the new XP, but there is no difference there. And Martin, I think the anti-aliasing is turned on. This is not what it is called in Danish in the settings, but I can choose between Standard and Clear Type. It is set to Standard.
Joseph, I understand that you can not understand what I mean with 'diluted'. I now discovered that I have misunderstood that word myself. Have a look at my screenshot.
Anyway, after having looked at the site on other machines where the letters are shown as solid caracters, I like the font displayed better than before.
It is possible for me to deactivate the use of 'Standard' or 'Clear Type' screen setting, if I do that Bitstream VS looks a lot better. In the end, though, I will vote for Verdana. I agree with Joseph that it is the best choice when you are using Windows.

I think that fonts used in the tracker are much better than in the Using Moodle, etc, areas. Especially in the breadcrumbs.
And, sorry to repeat this, but the gradient still looks like 2 separate horizontal lines. E.g. this one doesn't - http://test.moodle.org/1.9/theme/standardwhite/gradient.jpg

Elena Ivanova
added a comment - 04/Feb/09 9:07 AM I think that fonts used in the tracker are much better than in the Using Moodle, etc, areas. Especially in the breadcrumbs.
And, sorry to repeat this, but the gradient still looks like 2 separate horizontal lines. E.g. this one doesn't - http://test.moodle.org/1.9/theme/standardwhite/gradient.jpg

I have a concern about automatic linking of glossary entries in the Using Moodle course. While I understand that this way we can show Moodle functionality to the users, it makes is cumbersome for email subscriptions.
I choose to receive emails in html format, therefore most of the time I cannot tell why the word was highlighted: because the poster provided me a link, or because it is just another glossary definition for "Interface"

Elena Ivanova
added a comment - 04/Feb/09 9:12 AM I have a concern about automatic linking of glossary entries in the Using Moodle course. While I understand that this way we can show Moodle functionality to the users, it makes is cumbersome for email subscriptions.
I choose to receive emails in html format, therefore most of the time I cannot tell why the word was highlighted: because the poster provided me a link, or because it is just another glossary definition for "Interface"

Elena Ivanova's comment - 04/Feb/09 09:12 AM
>I have a concern about automatic linking of glossary entries in the Using Moodle course. etc.

I agree with Elena and I am not a great fan of that automatic linking to glossary entries in the moodle.org forum discussions. Since the introduction of the new interface, however, the subdued dotted underlining is much less obtrusive than used to be the grey background which really ruined the appearance of discussions text! To the point that I systematically resorted to the <nolink> tag in all of my own posts!

As for Elena's second point I suggest that the context of hyperlinked words in the discussions she rfeceiveds by e-mail should make it clear whether those hyperlinks point to the glossary definitions or to a link put in by the poster.

Joseph Rézeau
added a comment - 04/Feb/09 5:18 PM Elena Ivanova's comment - 04/Feb/09 09:12 AM
>I have a concern about automatic linking of glossary entries in the Using Moodle course. etc.
I agree with Elena and I am not a great fan of that automatic linking to glossary entries in the moodle.org forum discussions. Since the introduction of the new interface, however, the subdued dotted underlining is much less obtrusive than used to be the grey background which really ruined the appearance of discussions text! To the point that I systematically resorted to the <nolink> tag in all of my own posts!
As for Elena's second point I suggest that the context of hyperlinked words in the discussions she rfeceiveds by e-mail should make it clear whether those hyperlinks point to the glossary definitions or to a link put in by the poster.
Joseph

I am not completely sure where to post this..
Looks like a lot of people are confused where all the stuff is, e.g. discussion on feature development can happen both in tracker and in the forum. If we are not having a separate sub-forum, e.g. "gradebook development", etc, then messages tend to get lost. I just saw 3 people in the last week who were lost that way.
We do not have an option to tag our posts, so how about naming the forum threads accordingly?
E.g. Insert "DEV. DISCUSSION: at the beginning of the subject of every thread that relates to development.
We can rename most recent development topics to reflect this. It will be a quick fix, and I believe it will be handy. (We have such system on our support emails - works like a charm)

Elena Ivanova
added a comment - 06/Feb/09 2:30 AM I am not completely sure where to post this..
Looks like a lot of people are confused where all the stuff is, e.g. discussion on feature development can happen both in tracker and in the forum. If we are not having a separate sub-forum, e.g. "gradebook development", etc, then messages tend to get lost. I just saw 3 people in the last week who were lost that way.
We do not have an option to tag our posts, so how about naming the forum threads accordingly?
E.g. Insert "DEV. DISCUSSION: at the beginning of the subject of every thread that relates to development.
We can rename most recent development topics to reflect this. It will be a quick fix, and I believe it will be handy. (We have such system on our support emails - works like a charm)

Joseph Rézeau
added a comment - 22/Feb/09 10:52 PM BUMP! This has still not been fixed...
Joseph Rézeau added a comment - 28/Dec/08 07:26 PM
3- In the HTML editor, the Address style can be used, but it no longer shows when the post has been posted.
Joseph

Dennis Meyer
added a comment - 12/May/09 10:18 PM Is it possible to change the header_stripe_grad.jpg with the attached file? In my vies there is an ugly border between the grey stripe_grad and the white backgrounded Moodle-Logo...
moodle_header.jpg - how I see moodle.org now
header_stripe_grad.jpg - my solution to fix the grey thing

Dennis Meyer
added a comment - 13/May/09 2:33 PM Oh, well - it could be artwork... but design ? Well, if it's so - okay... but I started a second (and on this issue last - I promise ) try on http://tracker.moodle.org/browse/MDLSITE-496 .